When it comes to healthy eating, bigger isn't better

Monday

Mar 19, 2007 at 12:01 AMMar 19, 2007 at 6:35 AM

You might not be pregnant, but if you're an American diner, chances are you're eating for two. The food portions at most restaurants are getting out of control, experts will tell you, and things are not much better at home.

Sara Cardine

You might not be pregnant, but if you're an American diner, chances are you're eating for two.

The food portions at most restaurants are getting out of control, experts will tell you, and things are not much better at home. Somehow, the idea that bigger is better has worked its way into our kitchens, Kaiser-Permanente dietitian Rosario Aguirre said.

For March - which has been declared National Nutrition Month - large health-care providers such as Kaiser are hitting the streets to help people understand how such woes as high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes can be traced to what they eat. Not only is much of our food bad, but it's being consumed in portions many times the size of a healthy dose.

At St. Joseph's Medical Center, diabetes educator Susan M. Sanchez helps patients develop better habits. She said many of her clients don't know what a normal portion looks like.

John Britto, owner of Culinary Solutions biDesign, said the maxim of "bigger is better" is so patently American that there's no way to tell which came first, gargantuan meals or the demand for them.

"There's enough blame to go around," he said. "People eat way too much and not just in restaurants. It's a mentality."

There is, however, something on which everyone agrees: People need to change their habits or the consequences will grow. And education about what and how much to eat is the first step toward real change.

PROTEIN• One serving: Equals 1/2 cup beans, two eggs or 3 ounces of meat, which is a portion about the size of a deck of playing cards.• Recommended servings per day: Two• Look for: Lean cuts of meat, soy products, nuts and beans. Bake, broil or grill meat instead of frying.

CARBOHYDRATES• One serving: Equals one slice of bread or one tortilla, or 1 cup cooked pasta or rice, which is about the size of a tennis ball.• Recommended servings per day: Six• Look for: Whole-grain pasta, rice and cereal or whole-wheat bread.

FRUIT• One serving: Equals about 1/2 cup of fruit pieces, one medium-sized fruit, or 1/2 cup of fruit juice, which is enough to fill an average champagne flute.• Servings per day: Four• Look for: Fresh fruits in season. Widen your variety. Frozen fruit is an inexpensive alternative.

VEGETABLES• One serving: Equals 1/2 cup, about the size of a light bulb, or two hands cupped together for leafy greens.• Servings per day: Five• Look for: Dark leafy greens and vegetables with deep red and orange coloring; they carry more nutrients.

FATS• One serving: 1 teaspoon of butter, margarine or oil; 1 tablespoon salad dressing. One teaspoon is about the size of a thumb tip; 1 tablespoon is like three thumb tips. • Servings per day: One• Healthy eating: Fats are not part of a recommended daily diet. Have most of your fat come from fish, nuts or vegetable oils.